Leveling rod



Aug. 28, 1934. A. w. KEUFFEL 1,971,751

' LEVELING ROD Filed July 26, 1952 ZSheeis-Sheet 1 "min m"MW 22 20 INVENTQ L"12 9 mu: WKEUFFEL i 4 W I tion and afford a guide for an adjacent rod section.

The invention also seeks a rod comprising a series of telescoping or sliding sections having means whereby, when all the sections are extended and the sections clamped together, one long rod is the result and with means for clamping the sections together whereby each section may be moved with respect to its adjacent section and clamped on any point, which will be of a most simple, durable and practical construction and which must easily and rapidly extend or contract.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment by which the invention may be realized, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing, in side elevation, a leveling rod in accordance with this invention in closed or folded position, the intermediate portion of the rod being broken out in the interest of compactness of illustration;

Figure 2 is a view showing, in front elevation, the rod of Figure 1, looking from the right in that figure;

Figure 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, showing in spaced relation, the respective cooperating locking devices by which rod sections are secured in desired relation one to another;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken in the plane indicated by the line 44 in Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the clamp screw carrier in elevation;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View taken in the plane indicated by the line 55 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the clamp screw carrier in section and the clamp screw in elevation;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 66 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the clamp screw positioning means and the leaf spring pressure shoe;

Figure '7 is a detailed view showing the clamp screw positioning or centering member; and

Figure 8 is a View in perspective showing the spring pressed detent or leaf spring pressure shoe.

In the drawings, the front or lowermost section of the rod is indicated at 10 and is provided at its bottom with a rearwardly extending foot piece 11, which is conveniently secured to the bottom of the rod, as by a screw 12. On this foot piece the rod rests on the ground or other support when in use. At its bottom, the rod and foot piece are provided with a U-shaped shoe 14 secured to the said rod and foot piece by suitable means, such as screws 16. The foot piece also serves as a stop or rest upon which the middle section 26 rests when the rod sections are collapsed or folded to lie adjacent one another.

The vertical sides 18 (Figure 2) of the rod extend slightly in front of its graduated face 20, thus affording bearings for the flanges 22 of the clamping screw-carrier 24 carried with the middle section 26 of the rod. At its top, the front or lowermost section 10 is provided, on each side, with U-shaped guides 28 which are firmly secured to the respective vertical sides 18, as by screws 30, and project rearwardly beyond the same to engage longitudinal grooves 32 (Figure 1) in the vertical sides 34 of the middle section 26. The front or lowermost section is also provided with an upper stop 36 adapted for engagement by the clamping screw carrier 24 on middle section 26 when the rod is extended and prevents its overrunning the transverse locking and registering groove 38, hereinafter described, and thus prevents the further upward motion of the middle section with respect to the front section.

At its lower end, the front rod section 10 is provided with a locking and registering groove 35, whereby, by means of the clamping screw the front and middle rod sections are clamped in closed or retracted position of the rod. The foot piece 11, in this instance, prevents the carrier 24 overrunning the locking groove in the rod closing movement.

The middle section 26 of the rod is provided, at its lowermost end, with the clamping screw carrier 24, aforesaid, which is secured thereto in any convenient fashion, as by the screws 40, (Figure 1). The longitudinal grooves 32 also receive the flanges 41 of a U-shaped guide 42 on the bottom of the upper or rear section 44 which guide 42 is identical in every respect with the guide 28 on the front section 10 except that in this position it is inverted. At its upper end, the middle section has secured thereto a clamping screw carrier 46, as by the screws 48, clamping screw carrier 46 being identical in every respect with the clamping screw carrier 24, aforesaid.

The rear section 44 is substantially identical with the front section 10 except that, while it may be provided at the top, with a so-called foot section similar to that illustrated on the lower end of middle section 26, it is prefer ed merely to provide the same with a U-shaped cap 51 and provide a similar U-sha-ped cap 59 on the top of the middle rod section 26, the caps in both instances being secured conveniently by the screws 49 and 52. A stop 53 is disposed on the upper end of the rear section 44 so that, as the rod is collapsed, it will engage with the upper surface of the clamping screw carrier 46 if the locking and registering recess 57 (Figure 2) tends to override the clamp screw. Similarly a stop 54 is disposed on one of the vertical sides 55 of the top section 44 so that, as the rod sections are extended, it will engage the clamping screw carrier 46, if the same tends to override the locking and registering recess 56 hereinafter to be described and prevent the further upward movement of the rear section 44.

The upper registering groove 33 on the front rod section 10 is illustrative of grooved locking and registering members 35, 38, 56 and 57 disposed near the upper and lower ends, respectively, of both the bottom and top rod sections. This member is shown in side elevation in Figure 3. Referring to Figure 3, it will be observed that an elongated or oblong strip, preferably of metal, is offset intermediate its ends 60, as at 58, and portions intermediate the midportion 58 and the ends 60 of the strip slope upwardly toward the ends and are preferably plane surfaces disposed at substantially an angle of 45 thereto, as shown at 62. The ends 60 are formed with countersunk holes to receive screws 64 securing the registering groove in position, the material of the sides on the front or rear section, as the case may be, being cut away to receive the distorted strip flush with the surface. The midportion 5'8 and the sloping side 62 form the locking and registering recess 35, 38, 56 or 57, as the case may be.

The clamping screw carrier 24 (Figure 3) is also illustrative of carrier 46. It may take the form of a box-like frame consisting of a front face 66 (Figure 6) cut out centrally, as at 67, to expose andis thus formed, inpart, of the hang ..,side wall 68 and arearwall 7Q-cooperatewith Uil19 'L7 the graduation 65 .(Figure 2) onthe-rod; section es 22., Al

the apertured front wall'66 to form the slide portion of the clamp and receive .therewithin therod section, either .the front or rear rod section, as

the case may be. i The wall oppositathe side. wall. a 68 is indicated generally by the numeral 72. It,

110- vided centrally with a threadedboss 76 to receive end of which takes theform of thepinorlock ing lug 80. -The clamping screw. has aknurled .side of the rod section to form a passage 84 file-:

is spaced .frornthe side ofthe rod section and is offset intermediate the ends, as at 74,- .and prothethreaded end 78 of a clamping screw,the other head 82 which lieswithin the. space 75 formed by the offset portion '74 of the wall 72-,- and; the

by the fingers. The wall 72 is spaced from the,

fined, in part, by the side walls 66 and 70. Within the passage 84 is located a positioning or centering member 85 for the locking lug 80.

. As shown more in detail in Figure 7, this centering member 85 is generally aplate of substantially rectangular outline, as indicated at 86, and.

is formed centrally with anaperture 88 through whichthe locking pin 80 passes. The ends 90 of the centering member are reduced somewhat in i width so as to pass through the passages 84 and be retained therein against lateral displacement and the extremities are turned up, in the form of flanges 92 to engage the ends of the wall '72 and retain the centering member against longitudinal displacement. The enlarged central portion 86 fits within the recess '75 defined by the offset part 74.

A spring pressed detent is also disposed within the passage 84 to engage in the locking and registering groove when the rod sections are moved to bring a groove beneath a detent. The detent is shown more clearly in Figure 8 and comprises a strip of preferably resilient material 94 bent upwardly at its ends as flanges 96, which flanges are disposed outwardly of the ends of the walls '72 and of the flanges 92 of the centering member 85 to retain the detent against displacement longitudinally. That portion of the strip 94between the flanges 96 is bowed or curved toward the rod section so as to form, in effect, a spring. The mid-section of the spring is offset toward the side of the rod sections, as at 98, and is joined to the spring sections 94 by biased wall sections 100, disposed, respectively, at substantially an angle of 45 to the flat central portion 98. The walls 98 and 1.00 form the detent proper and the spring sections 94 on either side thereof form a spring carrying the same and urging it normally toward the side of the rod section. This detent 923-100 is of a size such as to be received snugly within the locking groove comprised of the component elements 5862 and the locking lug or pin is beveled at its inner end, as at 81, also conveniently at an angle of 45 so as to snugly fit the interior of the detent.

As hereinbefore explained both the clamping screw carriers 46 and 24 are identical in construction and the foregoing description, therefore, applies to both elements. Similarly, lock- 4 ing grooves 37, 38, 56 and 57 are similar to the locking groove just described and hence the foregoing description applies to all four locking grooves also.

One of these locking grooves 35 is disposed in the lowermost portion of the front section 10, as olearly illustrated in Figure 2, so that ,whenthe rod. sections 1 0, 26 and 44 are folded together or telescoped to lie adjacent one another as shown in Figuresl and;2the detent 98 ofthe clamping screwparrier 24 is receivedqwithin the locking groove 35 to hold the same in position. Asthe middlerod sectionq26 ismoved down adjacent the front section 10, the detent 98 findsits place in1the groove 35, ,theigbiascdlaces-106and 62' facilitating and serving to assure thattheclamping screw is set at the exactplace for lockingthe rod sec tions together, the lower end of the middle section of course abutting against and being set uponthe foot 11.; To look the parts in po-- sition, it is rnerely necessary to turn the knurled head $2 until the-bevelled pin 80 enters the detent and preventsitswithdrawal and thus the parts are locked in that position. 4 Similarly, the ;rear section and middle section may be locked together, adjacent one another by means of the rear section clamping screw: carrier 46.. When the rear section 44 is moved. downwardly. the detent 98 on clamping screw carrier 46 on the middle section finds its correct position in the .transverseelo locking groove 57 onv the rear rod. section. Thus groove. 38 in.the.upper end of front rod section-1 10. The biased walls of the detent cooperating with the biased walls of the groove cause the detent to be positioned exactly at the proper place to bring the lowermost effective graduation on the middle section in register with the uppermost effective graduation on the front face, as will be understood. The device is thus self-centering or registering and if desired, the locking pin may then be screwed into the detent to hold it in position. If a too vigorous movement of the mid-.. 1 dle section is effected to carry the detent into and beyond the groove 38, the sliding clamp will abut against the stop 36 and the inclined surfaces will again tend to urge the rod section back to proper registering position and thus the stop 36;.1 prevents the detent from overrunning the groove at any time.

Similarly, when the rear section is to be extended, locking pin 80 is first screwed out of the detent of clamping screw carrier 46 and then 11 the rear section is moved upwardly. The sloping walls of detent and groove permit the detent to leave the groove in the uppermost end of the rear section and then as the groove 56 at the lower end of the rear section travels beneath the detent of clamping screw carrier 46, it enters the groove 56, thus bringing that exactly to the correct position, stop 54 preventing the groove 56 from riding past the detent and the biased walls of the detent and groove assuring accurate regis-. 1 0 ter of the graduations. The locking pin 80 of clamp 46 may then be screwed into the detent to hold the rear section in extended position.

When it is desired to collapse the rod again, it is only necessary to unscrew the lock pin 80. r from the detent and pull the rear section 44 downwardly, the biased sides of the detent and groove permitting the detent to ride out of the groove as the section 44 descends. Similarly, the locking pin 80 of the slide clamp 24 on the middle section may be screwed out of the detent and the middle section pulled downwardly into the lowermost position until it abuts against the foot 11. As before, the detent of clamp 24 rides out of the groove 38 by reason of the biased wall sections and again centers in the lowermost locking recess 35, as shown in Figure 2, where the parts may be locked together, as previously described.

It will thus be seen that a leveling rod has been provided which automatically adjusts itself to the correct position of the parts and the adjusting devices may form part of means which looks the parts in extended or collapsed position.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the configuration and disposition of the co -acting elements going to make up the invention as a whole, as well as in their number and the number of rod sections to which they are applied, and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing specification or illustrations in the accompanying drawings except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:-

1. Securing devices for an extension leveling rod of at least two relatively movable sections, comprising, in combination, at least one transverse groove formed in one rod section, a clamping screw carrier carried with another rod section, a spring carried therewith, a detent carried therewith normally urged by the spring into sliding contact with the first named rod section and into the groove and a clamping screw carried therewith and movable to engage the detent to prevent the removal of the detent from the groove.

2. Securing devices for an extension leveling rod of at least two relatively movable sections, comprising, in combination, at least one transverse groove formed in one rod section, a clamping screw carrier carried with another rod section and formed with a passage for the first named rod section, a leaf spring in the passage and formed with a detent normally urged into sliding contact with the first named rod section and into the groove, said carrier being formed with an offset wall, a clamping screw having one end threaded in said wall and another free end adapted to engage the detent to prevent the removal of the detent from the groove, and a guide plate carried in the passage and formed with guide means for the free end of the screw.

3. Securing devices for an extension leveling rod of at least two relatively movable sections, comprising, in combination, at least one transverse groove formed in one rod section, the sides of said groove sloping from the bottom thereof to the surface of the rod section, a clamping screw carrier carried with another rod section, a leaf spring carried with the carrier, a detent carried thereby having a fiat end and opposed sides sloping outwardly therefrom to conform to the shape of the groove and normally urged into contact with the first rod section and adapted to be received in the groove and a clamping screw reciprocable with respect to the carrier and adapted to engage the detent to retain it in the groove.

ADOLF W. KEUFFEL. 

